JP2722930B2 - Work storage device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work storage device for storing components to be supplied to a component assembling stage, and more particularly to a work storage device for reliably holding components.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an assembly line for assembling a vehicle body, a plurality of types of works, that is, a body, are usually assembled on one line. Then, a predetermined panel material may be carried into a predetermined assembly stage of the assembly line corresponding to a specific type of vehicle conveyed to the assembly line. In this case, unless a specific panel material corresponding to the type of the vehicle body is carried into the assembly stage, the assembly work on this stage cannot be completed. For this reason, after being assembled in the sub-line, the work such as the panel material supplied to the assembly stage is assembled in the sub-line.
The work is temporarily conveyed to the work storage device, and is carried out from the work storage device to the assembly stage. In this way, even if the sub-line is temporarily stopped, the work stored in the work storage device can be reliably carried into the assembling stage, so that the stop of the assembly line can be reliably avoided. FIGS. 5A and 5B are a front view and a side view of a conventional work storage device. The work storage device has two upper and lower stages, and different types of work can be stored in the upper and lower stages of the storage device. A plurality of work storage members 11 are attached to the respective stages. When the work W1 is placed on the holding member 15 attached to the transfer bar 13, the transfer bar 13 carries the work into the storage device and stores the work. It is designed to be placed on the member 11. The stored work W1 is sequentially conveyed to the assembling stage from the unloading side.

As shown in FIG. 5 (B), a lower base 17 of the storage device is installed on the installation surface.
Are provided with work storage members 11 at equal intervals. Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, the work storage member 11 has a storage fixture 19 which can be moved up and down so that the work W1 can be held by the storage fixture 19 as shown. Has become. FIG.
The work storage member 11 shown in (B) is the work storage member closest to the work loading side. FIG.
As shown in (B), a transfer bar 13 that is movable in the longitudinal direction is installed at a position that penetrates the installation position of each work storage member, and the transfer bar 13 includes a holding member 15 and the like. It is installed at intervals. Since this installation interval is set equal to the installation interval of the work storage member 11, when the initial position of the holding member 15 is set to the installation position of the storage member 11, the transfer bar 13 is moved forward and backward by the distance of the installation interval. In addition, the holding member 15 can always be positioned at the installation position of the work storage member 11. As shown in FIG. 5B, the holding member 15 has a holding fixture 21 that can move up and down and can hold the work W1. The transfer of the work W1 is performed between the work storage member 11 and the work storage member 11. FIG. 5B shows the holding member 15 closest to the work loading side.

In such a work storage device, for example, when the transfer bar 13, which is movable forward and backward, is moved to the retreat limit position on the work loading side, the work holding member 15 attached to the transfer bar 13 closest to the work loading side is moved. , As shown in FIG. 5 (B). After this, the transfer bar 13
The holding fixture 21 of the holding member 15 attached to the workpiece loading side is moved up to hold the workpiece W1 held at the workpiece loading position 23 by the holding member 15. When the work W1 is held by the holding member 15, the transfer bar 13 is subsequently moved to the forward limit position, and the holding member 15 is positioned at the position where the work storage member 11 is closest to the work loading side. Here work W
Fixing fixture 2 for holding member 15 holding
When the workpiece W1 is moved downward, the workpiece W1 is
1 is placed. Also, the support 25 attached to the installation surface
Is provided with a base 26 for supporting the upper stage of the work storage device. The structure of the upper stage is the same as that of the lower stage already described, and the description is omitted. Thus, the transfer bar 13, the work storage member 11, and the holding member 15
Is operated, the work W1 is carried in, and is sequentially carried and carried out.

[0005]

However, the work storage member and the holding member are configured to hold the work by moving the fixture upward, and the support position of the work by the fixture is limited to the lower part of the work. Is done. When such a fixture supports a work such as the engine compartment shown in FIG. 5, the gauge of the fixture, which is the contact surface with the work, is separated from the center of gravity of the work. At the time of delivery, the work is likely to be held in a state where the work is held against the gauge, or the work is liable to be swayed, which causes a decrease in the operability of the assembly line.

In addition, since the fixture is transferred between the fixtures by raising and lowering the fixture, a space must be secured for the fixture raising and lowering operation. It will be a big thing. In addition, as a means for preventing seating failure, it is conceivable to increase the amount of contact of the gauge with the work. However, in this case, the apparatus also becomes large. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a state in which a work is conveyed and stored, the workability of the assembly line is improved by holding the work without a seating defect, and a small work storage device. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, a transfer bar is installed on a base so as to be able to reciprocate linearly with a predetermined stroke, and the transfer bar is mounted on the base adjacent to the transfer bar. At intervals corresponding to the stroke, a large number of work storage means for supporting the work in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the transfer bar are attached, and each of the work storage means is provided with:
Fingers that open and close in the moving direction of the transfer bar are provided, and a large number of work holding means for supporting a work are attached to the transfer bar at intervals corresponding to the stroke, and the transfer bar is provided on each of the work holding means. A work storage device provided with fingers that open and close in a moving direction.

[0008]

The transfer bar is provided with holding means having a pair of fingers which can be opened and closed with each other.
The work is held and transported by the work holding means. A pair of fingers that can be opened and closed with each other is also attached to the work storage means set at equal intervals on the base, so that the work can be stored. Since the fingers of the work holding means and the storage means hold the work by clamping the fingers by closing the fingers, the work can be transported and stored in a stable state. Since the delivery of the work between the holding means and the storage means is performed by opening and closing the holding and storage fingers, when the work is transferred and the transfer bar moves forward and backward, the holding means and the storage means are transferred. There is no need to raise and lower.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a front view of the work storage device of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the work storage device. The same members as those of the conventional work storage device shown in FIG. Are given.

As shown in FIG. 1 (A), the work storage device of this embodiment has two upper and lower stages, and can store two different types of works vertically. A large number of workpiece storage means 30 are attached to the base 17 at the lower stage of the apparatus at regular intervals in the left-right direction in FIG. However, FIG. 1 shows only the work storage means located at the work carrying end most among the many work storage means 30. Each work storage means 30
Has two storage chuck units 31 forming a pair as shown in FIG. 1 (A), and a transfer bar is provided between the pair of storage chuck units and on a base 17. A guide 32 is provided. A transfer bar 13 is attached to the transfer bar guide 32 so as to be able to advance and retreat with a predetermined stroke along the longitudinal direction of the guide 32. Transfer bar 13
Corresponds to the interval at which the work storage means 30 is installed.

FIG. 1A shows the transfer bar 13.
The support bar 33 as shown in FIG.
Are installed at intervals equal to the set intervals. When the transfer bar 13 is moved to the retreat limit position, the support bar 33 is moved to a work loading position 37 set adjacent to the work storage device. A work holding means 34 for holding the work W1 to be conveyed is attached to each support bar 33, and each work holding means 34 has two conveyance chuck units 35.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the transport chuck unit 35, and FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view of a main part of FIG.
FIG. 3B is a front view of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a finger support plate 41 is attached to the transfer bar 13. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the finger support plates 41 are mounted in pairs, and the opposing directions are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the transfer bar 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the two finger support plates 41 are
3 is rotatably supported via a rotation support shaft 45.
Thereby, both fingers 43 can be moved to an open position indicated by a two-dot chain line and a closed position indicated by a solid line. That is, the two fingers 43 can be freely opened and closed relative to each other.
It will be 80 degrees open. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, by moving both fingers 43 to the closed position, the work W <b> 1 is held in a state where the lower end of the work is supported by the holding portion 47 provided on one of the fingers 43. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, when the pair of fingers 43 is moved to the open position indicated by the two-dot chain line, the upper end height of the fingers becomes lower than the lower end height of the work W1, so that when the work W1 is transported, There is no need to raise W1 or move the transport chuck unit 35 downward.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of members related to opening and closing fingers of the transfer chuck unit 35. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of a connecting member 51 is rotatably connected to ends of both fingers 43 near the rotation support shaft 45. The other end of the connecting member 51 is connected to a movable opening / closing rod 53 which extends in the vertical direction and is movable by driving means (not shown). For this reason, by positioning the open / close rod 53 at the upper limit position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, both fingers 43 can be moved to the open position,
By moving the open / close bar 53 to the lower limit position indicated by the two-dot chain line, both fingers 43 can be moved to the closed position.

The storage chuck unit 31 shown in FIG. 1 has the same structure and operation as the transfer chuck unit 35 attached to the transfer bar 13. That is, when the open / close rod 53 shown in FIG. 4 is moved to the upper limit position, the finger 43 moves to the open position as shown in FIG. 2, and when the open / close rod 53 is moved to the lower limit position, the finger 43 moves to the closed position. It has become. However, as shown in FIG. 1A, the transfer and storage chuck units 31 and 35 are installed at positions where they do not interfere with each other when the transfer bar 13 moves forward and backward, so that they correspond to the shape of the work. The shape of the work holding portion 47 differs for each chuck unit.

The storage chuck unit 31 is provided with a presence detection switch (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the work W1 to be held. For this reason, the work W1 is temporarily stopped by assembling the work W1.
Even if the loading of the work W1 is interrupted and a work storage position where the work W1 is not stored occurs, the position can be detected by the presence detection switch. Therefore, when the loading of the work W1 is resumed thereafter, all the storage means 30 can be filled with the work W1 by sequentially fast-forwarding the loaded work W1. Note that the upper stage of the work storage device has the same structure as the lower stage described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a description will be given of a work transfer procedure in the work storage device of the present embodiment. First, as shown in FIG.
The transfer bar 13 is moved to the retreat limit position, and the transfer chuck unit 35 attached to the support bar 33 of the transfer bar 13 is moved to the work loading position 37. At this time, both fingers 43 of the transport chuck unit 35 have been moved to the open position. The work is carried into the transfer chuck unit 35 with the fingers 43 opened by a robot or the like, and then the opening / closing bar 53 of the transfer chuck unit 35 is moved downward. As a result, both fingers 43 of transfer chuck unit 35 move to the closed position, and work W1 is held by both fingers 43 of transfer chuck unit 35.

When the holding of the work W1 by the transfer chuck unit 35 is completed, the transfer bar 13 is moved forward to the forward limit position, and the work W1 is transferred to the work storage means 30 closest to the work loading side. At this time, since both fingers 43 of the two storage chuck units 31 shown in the drawing have been moved to the open position, the work W1 does not interfere with the fingers 43 of the work storage means 30.
When the work W1 is conveyed to the loading-side work storage means 30, first, the open / close rod 53 of the storage chuck unit 31 attached to the work storage means 30 is moved downward, and the finger 43 is moved to the closed position. Thus, the work W1 is held by the transport chuck unit 35 attached to the transfer bar 13 and the storage chuck unit 31 attached to the work storage means 30. Thereafter, by moving the open / close rod 53 of the transport chuck unit 35 attached to the transfer bar 13 upward, the finger 43 of the transport chuck unit 35 is moved to the open position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. As a result, the work W1 is transferred to the loading-side work storage means 30.
Is held only by the storage chuck unit 31 attached to the storage unit.

When the work W1 has been conveyed to the work storage means 30 in this way, the transfer bar 13 is moved to the retreat limit position again. At this time, the transport chuck unit 35 attached to the transfer bar 13
Since the finger 43 has moved to the open position, the finger 43 does not interfere with the workpiece W1. With the above operation, the work stored in the storage means is sequentially conveyed to the adjacent work storage means on the work unloading side.

The transfer of the work W1 from the transport chuck unit 35 to the storage chuck unit 31 is performed as follows.
The same operation is performed at any position. Further, the operation is the reverse of the above, and the work W1 is once held by both the chuck units 31 and 35 when the work W1 is transferred from the storage chuck unit 31 attached to the work storage means 30 to the transfer chuck unit 35. ,
Thereafter, the work W1 is transferred to the transport chuck unit 35, so that the work W1 can be reliably transferred.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, the work can be held and stored in a stable state because the work is held by the chuck unit both during transport and during storage. Also, when the work is transferred between the chuck unit attached to the transfer bar and the chuck unit attached to the work storage means, the work is always held by both or any of the chuck units. When holding the work, there is no occurrence of seating failure, and no vibration of the work occurs when holding the work.

Since both fingers that have been moved to the open position are opened, there is no need to raise and lower the chuck unit or the transfer bar when transferring a work or moving the transfer bar forward and backward, so that the equipment can be reduced in size. Can be

Further, by providing various types of chuck units, it is possible to cope with various types of vehicles.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B are a front view and a side view of a work storage device of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a front view of a chuck unit,

FIG. 3 is a plan view and a front view of a finger support plate,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view in which members near a finger support plate of the chuck unit are enlarged.

FIG. 5 is a front view and a side view of a conventional work storage device.

[Explanation of symbols]

13 ... Transfer bar 17 ... Base
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Work storage means 31 ... Storage chuck unit 32 ... Transfer bar guide 33 ... Support bar 34 ... Work holding means 35 ... Transport chuck unit 37 ... Work loading position 43 ... Finger 53 ... Opening / closing rod W1 ... Work

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A transfer bar is installed on a base so as to be able to reciprocate linearly with a predetermined stroke, and a work is placed on the base adjacent to the transfer bar at intervals corresponding to the stroke. A large number of work storage means for supporting the work bar in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction are mounted, and each work storage means is provided with a finger which opens and closes in the movement direction of the transfer bar, and the transfer bar corresponds to the stroke. A work storage device, wherein a large number of work holding means for supporting a work are attached at every interval, and fingers for opening and closing in the moving direction of the transfer bar are provided on each of the work holding means.